Misunderstood
by mlugia
Summary: It's time for the annual Cultural festival, and a sly Eriol and Tomoyo has been pushing for Syaoran to admit his feelings to a clueless Sakura. Can he finally pick up the courage while they work on the show? (S+S, E+T)
1. The festival

Disclaimer: CCS =/= Mine. k? 

Note: Timeline (spoilers). Branch off from after Ep 69, where Sakura defeats Eriol. Syaoran never told her, he never left, Eriol never left, and everyone's in High school now, kk? 

*~*~*~*~* 

Sakura was standing under a Cherry Blossom tree in full blossom, and facing her was one Li Syaoran. The petals were falling around them onto the lush green grass. It seemed that they were the only ones in the area, because all Sakura could see was miles and miles of empty grassland, and the Cherry Blossom tree that they were standing under was the only one she could find. 

Syaoran placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned closer... 

She could feel his breath on her face, his touch was so soft. She closed her eyes expectantly. 

"Sakura... I have something to tell you... I...." He whispered. "I..." 

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!* went Sakura's alarm clock, making the sleeping Sakura jolt into conciousness. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. 

_'It was just a dream... Oh, how nice it would have been if it was real...'_ She thought to herself, sighing in disappointment that it had only been a dream, a fantasy. 

It was then Kero decided to make a move. "Hey, Sakura, dreaming about the brat again?" His was promptly met by a pillow thrown by the mistress of the cards. 

"He is **not** a brat!" Responded Sakura indignantly. "He's... a wonderful person! And you..." 

"Are going to be late if you don't hurry. School starts in 15 minutes!" Finished Kero. 

"HOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" 

**Misunderstood**  
_~By Mana Lugia_

Li Syaoran sat in his seat, not paying the least amount of attention to what the teacher was talking about. He was staring at the back of an emerald-eyed beauty, one who was, in his mind, the epitome of perfection. His eyes stared hard at her auburn hair, his mind lost in thought, when a piece of paper folded like a crane "magically" appeared on his desk. 

He growled. He knew who it was from without even reading it. Opening up the note, his guess was confirmed. 

_"My dear descendant, you weren't paying atttention in class again. Could it be because of a certain person who sits in front of you that you were staring at so intently?"_

Grabbing a piece of his own paper, he quickly scribbled some words and sent it to the right. 

_"None of your business, Hiiragizawa. And stop calling me your descendant!"_

The teen for whom the note was for grinned evilly behind his glasses. Picking up his pen, he scribbled another note and used his magic to deliver it to the desk of the one to his right. 

The teen with the messy brown hair groaned again when he saw that his friend would not let up. Taking another break from his staring, he opened the piece of paper, this time folded like a flower. 

_"I see I hit the nail right on the head, my cute descendant. But perhaps you should focus on the lesson instead of your lovely cherry blossom."_

_'Damn that Hiiragizawa,'_ He thought to himself. The reincarnation of Clow Reed always seemed to hide evil thoughts behind that innocent mask of a smile. And the worst part is, that smile always gets on Syaoran's nerves. Picking up his pen again, Syaoran scribbled another note, this time with such force that he almost tore the paper. 

Eriol Hiiragizawa smiled. He had successfully pissed Li Syaoran off, which means he had accomplished his mission, at least for this period. Opening up the paper that Syaoran had sent back, his smile widened. 

_"I **DO NOT** need you to tell me what to do, Hiiragizawa. Now leave me alone!!!!"_

_'My poor hot-headed descendant. He's really fallen head over heels for that girl,'_ Thought Eriol, amused. Sneaking a peek, he saw that Syaoran had returned to his admiring of the back of Sakura's head. _'This will be fun...'_ He thought as he knocked his pencil case to the ground, and the clanging sound brought the class to a halt. Syaoran didn't seem to notice the noise, but the teacher certainly did. 

"Mr. Hiiragizawa, is there a problem?" The teacher, annoyed by the sudden interruption in the otherwise quiet class, asked. 

"No sir, I'm sorry," Eriol flashed an innocent look at the teacher and proceeded to pick up his fallen utensils. 

The teacher took the chance to look across the room, his eyes landing on one brown-haired boy in particular. "Mr. Li. Once you are done admiring the back of Miss Kinomoto, shall we get on with the lesson?" 

"Wha- Huh?" Syaoran woke up from his trance, confused. Upon processing what the teacher said, his face blushed beet red, as he managed to mutter an apology. What he did not know was that in front of him, Sakura Kinomoto's face was equally red. 

_'Was he staring at me? No, that can't be it... Maybe he's thinking about the girl he loves, Meilin. Wait a minute, didn't Meilin tell me in her last letter that the engagement was off because Syaoran loved someone else? Could it- Nah... But I wonder who she is...'_ Thought Sakura, as many different thoughts ran through her head. _'Maybe he was looking at Tomoyo...'_Sneaking a peek towards her best friend, she saw that Tomoyo was taking notes, oblivious to what was going on at the moment. 

The teacher cleared his throat, the lesson was over for the day. "Now, as you all remember, the annual cultural festival is coming up in a month, and we need to decide as a class on what to do. First, we're going to take nominations, so, any ideas?" He asked the class. 

"A tea house!" Shouted someone from the other side of the class. "An art exhibition!" Yelled another. "A haunted house!" Shouted a third. Sakura stiffened. She couldn't imagine herself helping in a haunted house without screaming her head off. Suddenly, she felt someone tap her shoulder, and then a note was left on her shoulder. She took the note and opened it. 

_"Wow, you're in high school and you're still afraid of ghosts? Sheesh. Well, don't worry, if anything, Tomoyo, Hiiragizawa and I will be around, so you have nothing to be afraid."_

Sakura read the note and smiled. Syaoran could be such a nice person sometimes, despite the cold front he puts up. That's another reason that made her fall for him, not that she was brave enough to admit it. She scribbled a thank you note quickly and passed it back. Behind her, she could swear she felt Syaoran smile. _'Hanyaaan...'_

Quite a few more suggestions were shouted out from around the class. "A fashion show!" shouted one enthusiastic amythest-eyed girl, who happened to sit right next to Sakura. Sakura giggled. That was just like Tomoyo to say such a thing. She quickly wrote a note, and placed it on Tomoyo's desk. 

_"Does this mean I have to wear the costume?"_ Tomoyo didn't take very long to send back a reply, which confirmed Sakura's fear. 

_"Of course! To be able to film you in as many dresses designed by me as possible, that is the epitome of my happiness!"_

The reply, of course, brought a sweatdrop to Sakura's head. In front of them, Yamazaki suddenly called out "A suama feast!" This, of course, made half the class sweatdrop. Chiharu gave him a quick smack on the back of the head. "We're deciding a cultural event, not what makes you happy, baka!" 

To this, Yamazaki whispered something into Chiharu's ear, which promptly turned Chiharu red, and playfully punched his arm. "Sweet talker!" She said playfully. 

"Hai, hai. Instead of the Suama feast... How about a cultural food exhibition?" He suggested to the teacher instead, who noted it on the board. 

"Alright, class, now that we have the nominations, write down the top 3 things you want on a piece of paper and hand it in!" He announced. The class settled down, and everyone started thinking about what they wanted. 

Sakura bit on her pen, not quite sure what she wanted. Behind her, Syaoran already decided on what to choose. _'A cultural cooking exhibition, eh? I'll be able to wow them with my Chinese food! I wonder if Sakura would like them...'_ With this thought, he blushed furiously, trying to drive the thoughts of his object of affection out of his mind. 

Tomoyo finished her ballot quickly, as did Eriol, who, unknownst to the others, had slipped a bit of magic into his. As he went up to submit the ballot, he smirked. _'This will be doubly fun, my cute yet shy descendant...'_

The teacher took another 10 minutes to tally up the votes, and his face had a shocked expression on it. "Well, class, it looks like we have a tie! With 14 votes each, both the Cooking Exhibition and the Fashion show are possibilities! What shall we do?" 

Eriol raised his hand immediately. "Yes, Mr. Hiiragizawa?" 

"Well, how about we divide the class into groups and each group has to come up with a clothing design for the fashion show and an ethical dish at the same time, so we can have a fashion show accompanied by food, like a dinner theatre?" He suggested. 

The class murmured in excitement. "That's a great idea! Any objections?" Asked their teacher. Upon hearing no objections, he declared, "Well, that's settled! I'd like you to form in groups of 3 to 4, and, for variety, each of you sign up for a culture that you would be cooking food for by the end of the day. You should bring enough food for the day, and at least 2 dishes from the culture!" More murmurs were heard through the class as the kids decided on their groups. 

Tomoyo turned around to the guys. "Hey, how about us four be a group? Me and Eriol can design the clothing, and Sakura and Syaoran can do the cooking part! I know, since Syaoran's Chinese, let's go with Chinese cooking! And best of all, I can get Sakura to wear more of my clothing!" She squealed delightfully, her eyes filled with stars. Upon hearing the mention of Sakura's name, Syaoran turned a light red. 

_'That's odd, Syaoran blushed when Tomoyo turned towards the boys...'_ Sakura thought quizzically. Her thoughts were broken as Tomoyo turned to ask for her approval, to which she nodded. _'This'd be so fun!'_ She thought excitedly, especially at the prospect of working with Syaoran on the foods. 

"Great, then I'll just go up to report it!" Tomoyo exclaimed as she dashed towards the front of the class. Eriol grinned at Syaoran, who replied with a scowl on his face. 

After Tomoyo returned, the group discussed what kind of clothing they would be making, and the foods involved. However, it ended up with Tomoyo making all the suggestions. Syaoran sighed. _'Sakura would look great in anything...'_ He thought to himself. Tomoyo saw him staring off into space again, and pulled him aside. 

"Hey, Syaoran, guess what?" She whispered. 

"What?" 

"I'm making Sakura's costume!" She whispered again, this time even more excited. 

"Yeah, I know... So?" Syaoran replied, unsure of where the conversation is going. 

"Well, I know you love Sakura... So, any request on her costume?" Tomoyo asked, an evil look in her eye. 

Syaoran turned seven different shades of red. "Err, um, that is... Why would I have any requests?" 

Tomoyo pressed on. "Oh, come on, Syaoran! I know you'd like to see Sakura in some kind of costumes better than the others! What would you like? I can make it happen for you!" 

Syaoran quickly shook his head. "N-No, I have nothing to say to you." 

"Are you sure?" Tomoyo asked again in a sly voice. "You know... I can make Sakura's skirt reeeeeally short... If you thought our uniform's skirts were short... Wait till you see her in-" 

Unable to handle the blood rushing to his head at the mention of Sakura in a really short skirt, Syaoran's eyes saw only darkness swirling around, as he promptly blacked out. Eriol, who had heard the whole conversation using his magic, shook his head. _'My young descendant, you're the head of the most powerful clan in China. You can summon the gods of fire, water, and wind. You can face the most powerful opponent and not flinch, and yet you faint at the mention of Sakura in a short skirt? You really need to work on that shyness of yours.'_ Meanwhile, a clueless Sakura ran to Syaoran's fallen body, unsure of what Tomoyo had said to make Syaoran faint like that. Tomoyo, meanwhile, silently giggled with amusement at how easily she was able to make Syaoran black out. 

*~*~*~*~* 

"Ugh... My head..." Syaoran groaned as he woke up. Looking around, he found the class empty except for Tomoyo, Eriol, and Sakura. Confused, he looked at the clock, and realized class ended almost 10 minutes ago. "What happened?" He asked. 

Tomoyo giggled again. "You fainted, baka, after I mentioned..." She trailed off, letting Syaoran complete the sentence himself. 

_'Oh yeah! She was talking about Sakura in a short skir-'_ He was unable to finish the thought as he blacked out once again, sending Sakura into hysterics. 

"TOMOYO! What did you say to make him faint so many times?" She screamed. Tomoyo laughed. 

"That's for **Me** to know and **You** to find out, Sakura!" She replied mysteriously. Then, grabbing on to Eriol's shoulder, she declared, "Well, Eriol and I are going to go home and get started on your costume. Meanwhile, you can look after your prince until he wakes up!" She winked, causing Sakura to, again, turn red. Tomoyo and Eriol quickly picked up their stuff and left the class, leaving behind an unconcious Syaoran on the ground and a red Sakura knelt beside him. 

Syaoran stirred again, and slowly opened his eyes, in time to see the worried face of Sakura looking down at him. "Angelic..." He muttered. 

_'Did he just... Nah, I was probably imagining it,'_ Sakura thought to herself. "Hey, are you feeling better now?" She asked. 

Syaoran sat up. "Yeah, I'm better now. Sorry about making you stay after school for this long... Sheesh, how long was I out?" He asked, rubbing his groggy head. 

"Around half an hour after class ended, I think. Tomoyo and Eriol left earlier... I just know they're up to something. Well, now that you're awake, shall we leave?" She replied. 

Syaoran nodded. The two picked up their bags, and headed out the door. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Two weeks has since passed, with Tomoyo having finished various designs for Sakura, but neither Sakura nor Syaoran had thought about the food items they were going to make. 

"Hey, Syaoran, since there's nothing going on today, wanna set down the recipes we're going to use?" 

"Sure, I guess," He replied carelessly, trying not to look like he was overly happy with spending more time with Sakura. 

"Great! We can go to my house then! Otou-san just shopped yesterday, so if we're lucky, we can even do some practicing!" Sakura said happily. Syaoran merely nodded again. "And the best part is, I'm in charge of dinner tonight anyways, so I can make Oniichan eat the creations, so we don't have to worry about the recipes being really bad!" She laughed evily. 

"Wow, now there's a side of you I don't see too often!" He joked. "Sakura with an evil side? That's pretty scary!" He laughed. The two continued to laugh and chat until they got to Sakura's house. 

Syaoran had a funny feeling that they were being followed the whole way till they reached Sakura's house, but shrugged it off as just being his imagination. They went up to Sakura's room first, where they discussed what Chinese dishes they each knew how to make. Behind them, a certain dark-haired videographer named Tomoyo was extremely disappointed that she couldn't film the rest of the kawaiiness that would occur between the two. However, her frustration was soon forgotten as her partner, the reincarnation of Clow Reed, placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, and soon both were lost in their moment of ecstasy. 

"Hoee.... I don't know how to make anything but rice..." Sakura groaned as she sat on her bed, frustrated. "What're you grinning about?" She asked the grinning Syaoran, who was sitting on her chair. 

"You forgetting that I can cook Chinese food very well? I can always teach you if you want..." Syaoran offered. 

"You will? That's great! Let's go check what things we have in the fridge, Master Chef Syaoran!" She got up and ran downstairs, with Syaoran right behind her. 

Sakura waited as Syaoran scoured the fridge, looking for the ingredients he needed. "Wow, you really do have everything in here!" He exclaimed as he finally pulled his head out of the fridge. "Well, I'm thinking we should just stick to the basics, Stir fry and fried rice!" 

"That doesn't sound that difficult!" Sakura exclaimed, excited that she was going to get cooking lessons from her secret love. 

Syaoran shook his index finger at her. "Now now, the cooking process is a lot harder that it sounds, impatient one," He used a deep voice, pretending that he was one of the clan elders at home trying to teach the young students. Sakura laughed, and mockingly bowed to her *Master*. 

"Hey, that's odd..." Syaoran noted. "What happened to the plush toy? He's always around when food's mentioned!" 

"Oh, Kero's over at Eriol's again, playing with Suppi. Apparently Eriol's house has better sweets too," She laughed. 

"Well, that explains everything. Shall we begin?" Asked Syaoran courteously, putting on an apron. 

"Let's shall," replied Sakura, as she put on her apron. 

The cooking session ended just over an hour later, with Syaoran declaring triumphantly, "There, now all we need to do is let it simmer for a bit!" 

"Wow, I sure learned a lot, Master Chef Syaoran!" Sakura thanked him. "Oh yeah, I have to do something for Tomoyo in my room, I'll be back in a bit, ok?" She asked, and ran upstairs. 

That left Syaoran alone in the kitchen, so he decided to grab a seat by the table. While waiting for the food to simmer, his eyes glanced around the room. _'Wow, that picture must be Sakura's mother. Now I see where she gets her beauty from...'_

*Ding* went the timer, as Syaoran lept up and quickly turned off the fire. Scooping the stir fry onto a large plate, he admired his handiwork. However, Sakura still wasn't down, so he went upstairs to inform her that the food was ready. 

"Hey, Sakura, the food-" He said excitedly as he opened the door of Sakura's room... and stopped. There was Sakura, her back facing him, changing into a dress that Tomoyo had brought in this morning. Luckily, she was almost done, but her back was still left unzipped up, showing off her bare back. 

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** Syaoran's yelling made Sakura turn around. 

**"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

=============================================================== 

To Be Continued. 

Oy, how was it? That wasn't too bad, or at least, I hope it wasn't. If you have the time, reviewing it with your comments/thoughts would be nice ^^. But no flames plz :D. Don't worry, only 1 chapter left! =D 

~ M. 

Dictionary: 

Baka - Dummy/idiot   
Otou-san - Father   
Oniichan - Brother 


	2. You What?

Disclaimer: Again, if CCS was mine... that'd be nice, but it's not. Belongs to CLAMP and friends. 

*~*~*~*~* 

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** Syaoran's yelling made Sakura turn around. 

**"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

"Go-, uh, I didn-, crap!" Syaoran blabbered, embarrassed to have come into the room while Sakura was changing. Realizing that he made absolutely no sense whatsoever, he quickly left the room and shut the door behind him, and leaned against the wall. 

_'Damn, I really should've knocked first! What would Sakura think about me now? Prolly just another one of those perverted guys. Oh crap! What if she did think of me that way? She'd never want to be friends with me anymore! Crap! Arg! I didn't mean it! I didn't know she was changing! Though she looked very sexy... WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?!'_ As his thoughts started to stray, he did the only thing he could, that was, banging his head against the wall. _'Idiot... Idiot... Idiot...'_ He thought over and over again. 

It was at that moment when Syaoran heard the door unlock downstairs, as two pairs of footsteps were heard entering the house. "I'm back! Whoa, what did the kaiju make today that smells so good?" Touya's voice resonated throughout the house, and Syaoran assumed the person with him would be his long time friend Yukito. 

_'DAMMIT! Touya's gonna kill me!'_ Syaoran panicked, and ran towards downstairs towards the door, past a startled Touya and an equally surprised Yuki. He put on his shoes in record time, and raced out the door towards his home. 

Touya stood there, mouth open. He could swear that the Chinese gaki had just ran by him. He turned to Yuki, who promptly asked, "Wasn't that Li...?" 

That comment blew Touya through the roof. "**SAKURA!** WHAT THE HELL WAS THE CHINESE GAKI DOING IN OUR HOUSE?!" 

Inside her room, Sakura was still unsure of how to react. 

**Misunderstood: Part 2**  
_~By Mana Lugia_

Syaoran laid on his bed, very miserable. Walking in on Sakura changing wasn't exactly the best way to close out a fun filled afternoon, no matter how little he minded it. _'What if Sakura hates me from now on? What if she doesn't want to talk to me? Crap, that wouldn't be fun... The only reason I stayed here for so long was so I could be close to her...'_ He turned to his side. _'Ugh, this is so confusing... I guess I'll have to avoid her from now on because I'll never hear the end of it if I didn't... You certainly screwed up today, baka.'_

He walked to school slowly the next day, realizing that he had left his bag at Sakura's house when he ran out the door in a rush. He didn't bother waiting for Sakura at the place he normally does, but ignored it instead. There was no use waiting for someone who probably hates you, he consoled himself. 

Sakura arrived at the spot where she always met up with Syaoran, only to find that he wasn't there. _'I guess he went on ahead...'_ She thought, and rollerbladed to the school normally. Sure enough, when she opened the classroom door and yelled an energetic "Ohayo!", she found Syaoran sitting at his desk, his arms on the table, and his head resting on them, looking at the window. He seemed to stiffen when he heard her voice. _'Must be my imagination...'_ Sakura thought, and walked up to him. 

"Um... Ohayo, Syaoran!" She greeted with a false cheerfulness, knowing full well that Syaoran was still disturbed from the day before. "You left your bag over yesterday..." She started, placing his bookbag on the ground beside his desk. "Um... about yesterday..." 

_'I knew it, here it comes... I need to escape!'_ Syaoran thought and hurridly stood up. "I'm going to the washroom," He declared, and ran out the class, leaving behind a confused and hurt Sakura. 

"Syaoran... Why can't you just let me explain that it's ok...?" 

It was this moment that Eriol and a very giddy Tomoyo entered the class. One look at the still Sakura and Tomoyo could tell something was up. She whispered to Eriol, who had already known what had gone on using his magic. "Now, my dear Tomoyo, how would I know what happened?" 

"Liar, I know you can use your magic to find out everything that people don't want you to find out," She teased. Eriol grinned. 

"As much as I would love to tell you, I think it's better if the two of them works it out themselves, né?" 

*~*~*~*~* 

It was lunchtime, and Syaoran sat in the tree, looking down at the students walking around, not knowing that he was there. His eyes were especially focused at a group a few metres away, sitting under another tree. There were five girls and one boy, namely Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko, Rika, Tomoyo, and of course, Sakura. He cringed whenever he thought of her. As much as he loved her, he was so sure that she hated him that he had not had the courage to speak to her all day. That evil Hiiragizawa was nowhere to be seen. _'He must be up to something again,'_ He thought to himself. 

"Who is?" A voice spoke behind him, and startled Syaoran. He almost fell off the tree, had it not been for his quick hands being able to grab on to a branch. Cursing in Chinese, he turned around and came face to face with the innocent smile of Eriol. 

"Dammit, Hiiragizawa, don't do that!" He hissed. Eriol pretended not to hear him. 

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" He whispered, looking at the group, who had no idea that the two teens were talking about them in the tree. 

"I don't know about you, Eriol, but I don't go for those backdoor shananigans. But, if you love Yamazaki, I guess he's pretty good looking," Syaoran shrugged. 

"Ha ha, very funny," Eriol said sarcastically. "I refer to the ladies, one of them in particular, don't you think?" 

Syaoran's ears started turning crimson. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about..." 

"Uh huh, whatever you say, my cute little descendant," Eriol acknowledged. 

"I told you not to call me that!" 

"Oh, did you? I must have missed it when you told me, sorry, my cute descendant," Eriol smirked. This definately would get on Syaoran's nerves, and he was right. He barely dodged a punch from Syaoran, and caught the other with his hands. "Wait, wait, listen!" He said, and Syaoran calmed down. "I think she never blamed you, Syaoran... You should go over there and talk to her," He advised. 

Syaoran glared at him. "How did you know about it?" Eriol looked at the sky innocently. 

"I... have my methods," He replied. "But in all seriousness, Tomoyo told me to find you so us four can discuss the Culture fest project. You should listen to me, she doesn't hate you. Listen to your elder, it's not like I lie to you, right?" Eriol winked, before descending the tree and heading towards the group. 

Syaoran sighed. _'How does Eriol do that to me? One moment I'm more afraid than anything in the world, the next he calms me down with his words... Sheesh, that guy...'_ He thought to himself. _'Though, would Eriol be right? Well, I guess I'm going to have to talk to her eventually... And now's as good a time as any to get screamed at.'_ He slowly descended the tree, and walked towards the group. Eriol, now sitting alongside Tomoyo, smirked. 

"Syaoran! You're finally here! I guess Eriol wasn't as efficient today as he was usually, huh? Listen, we need to discuss the Cultural fest project!" Greeted Tomoyo. 

"Oh no! The project!" Chiharu gasped. 

"We still need to make Yamazaki and Chiharu a costume!" Rika gasped too. 

"How're we going to do it? We're way behind schedule!" Naoko added. 

"Did you know, back in ancient times, schedules were called 'shed-jewels?' Apparently the people worshipped their schedules so much that they passed it down from generation to generatio-" Yamazaki started, but never got to finished as he was bopped in the head by Chiharu. 

"Not now, liar!" She yelled as the group of four decided to go indoors to plan their project. 

However, Sakura didn't turn around. _'Syaoran's probably still mad at me...'_ She thought sadly. 

Syaoran could only look at the back of Sakura. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eriol whispering something to Tomoyo, who promptly giggled with glee, as if Eriol was planning something. He knelt down beside Sakura, and whispered into her ear, "Hey, we have to talk, come with me." 

Sakura nodded slowly, and the two got up, with Syaoran leading, they walked to the tree where Syaoran was hiding in originally. _'Tell her how you feel, Syaoran...'_ Eriol's ghostly voice echoed in his ears. 

_'Stupid Eriol and his ability to project thoughts!'_ He mentally felt like kicking Eriol. 

_'Tell her you love her! Now's a good time as ever!'_ Eriol's voice commanded. 

"Alright, alright! If I do that would it make you shut up?!" Syaoran yelled at Eriol, startling everyone. Eriol couldn't help it. He started laughing. Syaoran turned to Sakura. "Erm, um, sorry about that. Right, I need to um... apologize for... you know... well... Ididn'tmeanitatallIreallydidn'tpleaseforgiveme!" 

Sakura couldn't for the life of her figure out what gibberish Syaoran had just told her. "Syaoran, if it's about yesterday... I forgave you already, you didn't mean it, you didn't see anything, so I guess it's ok..." 

Syaoran's ears perked up. _'She forgave me? Eriol was right? D-Does that mean now's a good time to...'_ Syaoran pondered. _'Of course it is.' 'Is it really?' 'How would I know? You're just talking to yourself here! Just tell her, geez!'_ Syaoran cleared his throat. "Well, um... thanks for forgiving me, Sakura, that means a lot to me, knowing that you don't hate me...' 

_'I could never hate you, Syaoran...'_ Sakura thought to herself. 

"Anyways, um, there's been something I wanted to say since grade 4... Sakura, I... um... that is..." He stuttered. Eriol listened in with great interest. Suddenly, from the soccer field nearby, a ball flying astray flew right at Syaoran, and to everyone's horror, it was going to smack Syaoran square in the head. However, sensing the ball, he turned and punched it such force that the ball went flying back the direction it came from. "DO YOU MIND?!" He yelled at the soccer field. The moment was soon broken, and Syaoran, frustrated that he couldn't reveal his feelings, let loose a chain of colourful choice words in his native tongue. 

Sakura gasped. For one, she has never heard Syaoran this frustrated, and for two, what was it that Syaoran wanted to tell her? After Syaoran finished his list of words to say when someone's annoyed, she asked, "Wow, that's... very colourful language you had there, Syaoran. What was it that you wanted to tell me?" 

Syaoran froze, he was just about to confess to Sakura, wasn't he? "Um, it was... nothing, I was just gonna thank you for forgiving my... um... act... Anyways, Tomoyo and Eriol needed to talk about the project, so let's go!" He tried to act normal, and walked back towards Eriol, who was shaking his head, and Tomoyo, who was rolling with laughter. A minute later, Sakura followed. 

"That was very smooth, Mr. Li," Tomoyo congratulated him, and started laughing again. 

"Indeed it was, very, very smooth, my dear descendant," Eriol grinned. 

"If you don't shut up, your face would be meeting my fist really soon, Hiiragizawa," Syaoran growled. That got Eriol to stop teasing. Well, perhaps it was because Sakura arrived. Either way, the serious meeting started. 

"Now, news has it that our event got popularity in the other classes, so we're making it a gradewide event, so all the people from our grade can participate. Now, Syaoran, I'm going to need from you and Sakura the day of the festival a large pot of each of the two foods you said you were making, and it better be good. So practice!" Tomoyo commanded. "Meanwhile, Sakura, I got your dress ready, I'll need you to come by today for a final fitting, and then we're all set for the festival. Ohhh, this is going to be so exciting!" 

*~*~*~*~* 

Another two weeks has passed, and it was the day of the festival. Tomoyo had designed the perfect costume for Sakura, Syaoran had a practiced his cooking a few more times, but none with Sakura. He was still mad at himself for missing such an opportunity to tell her how he really felt, but another part of him was relieved that he didn't have to be rejected just yet. 

Sakura, on the other hand, had been thinking about Syaoran. She had noticed his blushing whenever Tomoyo and her were present, and it had been even more frequent now, with Tomoyo always whispering something towards him. She wondered what Tomoyo had said that could make Syaoran blush. 

Upon arriving at school, Sakura gasped. The classroom were too small, so they had to take the performance to the gymnasium, which had been "remodelled" to have a stage, and dining tables were scattered throughout the room, like a real dinner theatre. There were servers at the back, who would hand the food to the waiters who served the people. She looked around for Tomoyo, and found her directing the stage crew. When she spotted Sakura, she beckoned her over. 

"Here, put your costume on and get backstage! We're a little behind schedule already!" She exclaimed as she handed Sakura her costume. She then turned back and directed the stagework. 

_'I guess she really wanted the extra marks to direct the overall play,'_ Sakura mused, and went backstage. 

Meanwhile, Syaoran was standing by, he had been assigned as a waiter who would bring people their menus. The waiters all wore a white shirt with a black vest, black trousers, and a red bowtie around their neck. He gulped. _'I wonder what Sakura would be wearing...'_ Tomoyo had been most secret about Sakura's clothing, but, he figured, since it was a cultural festival, it would probably be something he had seen his sisters wear many times. 

After the preparations were done, the lights were dimmed as more and more guests filled into the room. Music started playing, and an energetic voice welcomed the guests. After the guests had settled in, the music died down a little, and the fashion show began. 

Syaoran had little interest for the acts, but he was widely surprised with the variety of the foods available. He had ran around the room serving the people, and had not noticed any of the acts. However, while serving a table near the front, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to find a smiling Tomoyo with a videocamera. "You should look, she's coming out any minute now!" She whispered. Syaoran immediately turned around, and caught Sakura coming on stage, dressed in a red Qi Pao, which was a traditional Chinese clothing for women. It looked ordinary, with embroidaries of dragons running all over the dress, just like the Qi Pao he had seen his sisters wear for many times, but for some reason, he couldn't look away. 

_'Oh no, don't tell me Eriol did something to it...'_

"Oy, if you keep staring at her like that, she's going to think you're a pervert or something," Giggled Tomoyo, poking Syaoran in the shoulder. 

Syaoran woke from his trance, and immediately turned bright red in the face. He was glad the lights were dim, but unfortunately, the stage was brightly lit. He turned and glared at Tomoyo. "I know Hiiragizawa did something to it, Miss Daidouji." But his accusation was only met with an innocent smile. 

"No, I think you just like Sakura's figure too much, I mean, look at her nice curv-" Tomoyo began to tease, and stopped, because, as usual, Syaoran blacked out from excessive blood in his head. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Sakura walked onto the stage, embarrassed. She still wasn't very used to walking on stage with many people watching her, even after all the things she had done, the plays, the cheerleading, etc. She tried to look around at the audience to look for someone for comfort, and her gaze landed on Syaoran and Tomoyo. 

Syaoran had originally been looking at her, but then turned to Tomoyo when she said something. He then turned red, which was clear to her because of the stage lights. He then replied to Tomoyo, and when Tomoyo said one more thing, he promptly passed out, and Tomoyo giggled. 

Sakura had then finished her act and went backstage, wondering what she just saw. _'Of course... It's so clear to me now! Meilin's letter, Syaoran always fainting and turning red when she's around... Syaoran doesn't love me... He had fallen for Tomoyo...'_ She realized, much to her disappointment. The many dreams she had where Syaoran had confessed his undying love to her, the ones which she had hoped were prophetic dreams, had been just fantasies after all. Tears began welling up in her eyes. _'I can't believe it... He fell for Tomoyo...'_ Putting on her jacket, she promptly left the building, not even bothering to wipe her tears. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Meanwhile, Syaoran had woken up quickly this time, thanks to a glass of water courtesy of one Eriol Hiiragizawa. Wiping his face, he apologized to the diners, and hurried to the back. 

"Hey, Mr. Li, you feeling ok? The show's almost over anyways, you can take an early leave," Their teacher told him. Li nodded. He headed backstage to meet up with Sakura, since they promised to go home together. However, when he reached the backstage, he couldn't find Sakura anywhere. 

_'That's odd, Sakura never said anything about having another act...'_ He wondered. He asked one of the people walking past, who happened to be Yamazaki. "Hey, have you seen Sakura?" 

Yamazaki shook his head, and pointed to the back door. "Oh, she left right after her appearance. She looked pretty sad though, I think she was almost crying, I wonder what happened." 

Syaoran grabbed Yamazaki's arm as he was about to leave. "Did she tell you where she was going?" 

Yamazaki shook his head. "Well, it's only 6, and the sun's not even setting yet... I know she wasn't heading home, but that's it. Hey, did you know that-" Yamazaki started, but never got to finish because Chiharu showed up out of nowhwere and dragged him off. Syaoran chuckled at the scen, and quickly rushed out the door. 

_'She didn't go home... Where could she have gone?'_ He asked himself, when he was hit by an idea. _'I'll bet dollars to doughnuts she's there...'_ He thought as he hurried towards his hunch. 

When he had reached the place of his hunch, the sun had already started its descent behind the tall hills in the distance. Syaoran spotted a figure sitting in one of the creaking swings, slowly swinging back and forth. 

_'I thought as much.'_ He inwardly cheered that he had been able to find her. Walking up behind her, he saw that her head was low, and he could distinctly hear her sobbing. "What's wrong?" He asked, placing one hand on her shoulder. 

Her head shot up. _'How did he find me?'_ She thought. He wasn't exactly the person she wanted to see right now. "N-Nothing's wrong, Syaoran..." She tried to stop her sobbing, but it wasn't working very well. 

"Don't lie to me, Sakura. We've been friends for so long that I know when you're lying," He said, and then sat down on the swing beside her. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" 

Sakura flinched. _'YES, SOMETHING IS WRONG, LI SYAORAN! YOU FELL FOR MY BEST FRIEND, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT BECAUSE YOU'D JUST LAUGH AT ME!'_ Letting her head drop again, she repeated, "N-Nothing's wrong..." 

Syaoran sighed. It looked as if Sakura's determined to hide this problem from him, so he did the next best thing a friend would do. "Well then... Wanna talk?" 

_'Of all the people, why did it have to be him sitting right beside me now? i don't want to confess to him, knowing that he doesn't feel the same. I can't confess to Tomoyo either, because then it'd hurt her. I can't tell Eriol, he's obviously fallen for Tomoyo... I can't tell anyone!'_ She wanted to scream. Her thoughts were confusing her, and she knew she couldn't escape from her problems. Mustering up her courage, she tried to divert the conversation elsewhere. 

"You know, Meilin wrote to me a while back, Syaoran..." Was her best attempt. "She told me that your engagement was off. Was that true?" 

Syaoran kicked the dirt with his feet, unsure of how he should answer it. "Y-Yeah, the engagement's over." 

"She also said that you had fallen for someone in Japan, which was why the engagament was cancelled, was that true too?" She asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. 

Syaoran stiffened. _'WHAT? Meilin told her?! She better not have told her who I fell for, or else I'm gonna go back there and-'_

"Syaoran?" Inquired Sakura, uneasy with Syaoran's silence. 

"Y-Yeah, that's right," He answered after breaking out of his trance. 

"How long have you fallen for her?" Sakura asked again. 

"Since grade four... when I first arrived..." 

_'Just like I thought... He's fallen for Tomoyo for so long now...'_ Sakura felt more tears welling up. "I see... You love her a lot, don't you?" 

Syaoran's head dropped. The sand suddenly seemed like a very interesting object to observe. "Yea... I love her with all my heart... She's the reason that I haven't returned to Hong Kong yet, you know," He said, trying to fake a chuckle, and failed miserably, and it ended up sounding like a bad cough instead. 

Sakura felt a wrenching pain in her heart. _'Tomoyo's so lucky...'_ "It's been this long... Have you told her yet?" 

"No, I haven't. I wanted to, I tried to before, but I could never find the courage to face rejection," Syaoran replied, his feet still playing with the sand. 

"I think you should tell her... I mean, Tomoyo's a grea-" Sakura started. 

"Who said it was Tomoyo?" Syaoran said sharply. 

Sakura's eyes widened. "It's not her?" 

Syaoran shook his head. "No... As nice and beautiful Tomoyo is, she's much more wonderful than that..." 

Many thoughts and feelings ran through Sakura at once. _'It's not Tomoyo? Then... Could it be Chiharu? Maybe it's Rika or Naoko...'_ "Then... Is it Rika?" Syaoran shook his head. "Chiharu?" Another shake of his head. "Naoko?" A third shaking of Syaoran's head, and Sakura was out of names. "Then..." 

_'Well, Li Syaoran. Looks like this is it, do or die,'_

"As wonderful as those girls are... Why would I fall for them when I have the most beautiful of all goddesses sitting right next to me right now?" Syaoran whispered. Sakura's heart raced. 

_'Did I just hear what she thought I heard? No... It can't be...'_ She quickly stood up. "Thanks, Syaoran, but you don't have to lie to me just to make me feel better..." She choked out. 

_'Huh? She thinks I'm what?'_ Syaoran stood up as well, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her so she was facing him. "Look at me, Sakura..." He said calmly. Sakura wiped her tears off with her hand, and looked up, right into Syaoran's amber eyes. Normally, she would have gone "hanyaan" when this occurred, but she couldn't this time. Syaoran gazed into her eyes, puffy and red from all the crying. Regardless, she was still beautiful to him. "Sakura... I would never lie to you. I've fallen for you since grade 4. You're the reason I stayed in Hong Kong, because I couldn't imagine being far away from you. Please, believe me when I tell you, that I love you." 

Sakura couldn't stop herself. She buried her head in his chest and started crying. "S-Sakura, I'm sorry for telling you this... Now you must feel even worse off. I've really done it, haven't I?" Syaoran whispered to her, hugging her close. 

"T-That's not it, Syaoran... The fact is, I-I've loved you since grade 4 too, but I could never have told you... I only cried today because I thought you were in love with Tomoyo..." She mustered between sobs. 

Syaoran stroked her auburn hair with one hand, surprised and happy at the revelation that the one he loved felt the say way about him. "I'm sorry, Sakura, that I never told you, that I've made you cry. Please don't cry... It's all ok now, I'm here..." He comforted her. The sun had already gone down, the sky was blanketed by stars. However, neither wanted to move, it felt like bliss to stay that way, with her in his arms. Each had waited years for this to happen, and, to their delight, it did. His heart had done cartwheels when she had admitted her love for him. He wanted to do a victory dance, joy ran through every vein in his body. 

_'You're welcome, my cute little descendent'_

"Oh crap!" He exclaimed, and Sakura looked at him quizzically. He let go of Sakura, and turned around, scouring the area. 

"**HIIRAGIZAWA AND DAIDOUJI!** IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'D BURN THAT TAPE RIGHT NOW! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" He yelled. Sakura sweatdropped. 

*~*~*~*~* 

Tomoyo pouted from behind the bush. Thanks to Eriol's magic, she had heard every word Syaoran had said, as did her video camera. "How dare he say such things?" She fumed. "I'm not **THAT** inferior to Sakura..." 

Eriol smiled. "Of course not, my princess. You are the most wonderful and beautiful maiden whom I have laid my eyes upon." 

Tomoyo pouted again. "Does that mean you'd leave me the moment you find a better looking maiden, Mr. Hiiragizawa?" 

_'Uh oh, last names, I'm in trouble,'_ Eriol panicked. "N-No, of course not, that's not what I meant, Tomoyo! I meant, well, you know what I meant!" 

"Uh huh," Tomoyo agreed sarcastically. "Well, should I listen to Mr. Smooth over there?" She gestured towards Syaoran, who had by now bent down for a kiss with Sakura. 

Eriol grinned. "Of course. We shall burn as many CDs of this encounter as we possibly can. It's good blackmail material, wouldn't you agree?" 

_~Fin~_

=========================================================== 

Well? Did you like it? Eh... Review with any comments and whatnot, but no flaming >=(. Flames aren't nice. 

~ M. 

To Fantasiimaker: Yes, I spelt Otou-san incorrectly. Thanks for the correction. 

Dictionary   
Gaki - Brat   
Kaiju - Monster   
Né - No? 


End file.
